Jane Hwang scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land them in a compromised political position in their home countries. To illustrate this predicament, I put some blank space at the end of the cassette tape. If someone wants to participate unofficially, they can press the record button and add their version of the song to the project at any time. That would be the completion of the collaboration of this project, I believe. Artists from different eras and geographical locations — from French painter Eugène Delacroix, passing through Pablo Picasso, to more recently Fang Lijun — use to communicate more or less explicit political messages in their artworks: how would you consider the degree of openess of the messages that you convey in your artworks? In particular, how open would you like your works to be understood? Jane Hwang: Although I try to convey political messages through my artwork, this is no more than my personal view of society. The political messages that I convey in my work tend to mirror past events. Specifically, the threads of the past are so inextricably woven together, like a gigantic knitting ball, that it is often difficult to know where one begins and where one ends. Even though some of my work is quite Korean-specific or Asianspecific, I believe that there are common threads present in the political histories of different countries across the globe. Once we identify these patterns, it is possible to
empathize with others and it is this empathy for others that will let viewers weave these narratives into their current context. We have appreciated the powerful allegorical feature of Water and Blood, a stimulating twochannel video installation that our readers can get to know at https://janehwang.com/Waterand-Blood. How did you come up with the idea of this interesting work? In particular, how do you consider the role of symbols and metaphors in your creative process? Jane Hwang: ‘Water and Blood (2020)’ is the main project I’ve completed during the artist in residency program in Iceland, occurring during my second visit to the island. On my first visit, I completed a soundscape project titled ‘island of is and yous (2019)’, which includes multiple layers of the locational sound of Iceland. Since then, Iceland has always been a great inspiration for the central themes of my work, such as life and death, a space beyond visibility, and the communication across existence. ‘Water and Blood’ started from one old Icelandic sorcery. It is said that this specific spell gives the power to see the past and the future throughout the world from a day over centuries. Based on the documentation, the spell requires certain ingredients such as 'the water from a raven's eye’ and 'blood from the hearts of a man and a woman who have loved each other with all their hearts but never consummated their love.’ In this video installation, the ingredients are symbolized and liquified as different water sources in Iceland. Through my journey to find magical materials, I collected metaphorical water and blood and brought them to the exhibition space. The ingredients of the supernatural power are embodied in various forms of water resources between the endless circulation of the sky and the earth, such as glacier water, geothermal water, and fog particles. You are a versatile artist and your artistic practice encompasses multimedia video installations that feature images, sounds and voices: how do you consider the role of technology in your approach? In particular, do you think that the chance of taking advantge of cutting edge technologies could even shape and direct creativity? Jane Hwang: Technologies are alluring. It is obvious that technology not only inspires my artistic methodology but also expands the actual art productions. Nevertheless, my experience demonstrates that it has something to do with the intensity of impression, not with the impression itself. Although I am always open to learn new technologies and enjoy seeing artwork related to it, I am pretty cautious about bringing them into my artwork. When I worked as a VR designer many years ago, I learned how delicate it is to apply a proper degree of new technologies, in order to instill excitement and not fear into the hearts of scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
Water and Blood (2020), Exhibition Documentation 2-channel video installation, loop, HD
Water and Blood (2020), Exhibition Documentation 2-channel video installation, loop, HD
viewers. For me, technologies are merely carriers of what is already inside. ‘Stone Stacking (2020)’ is a short video that I made using photos of stones I collected over the years. It shows the incessant movement of assemblage and deconstruction of stones, and it was intended to be displayed at the exhibition space entrance. In Korean culture, people stack stones to wish for blessings, and stone towers at village entrances often symbolize warding off evil spirits. The restriction of movement during the pandemic, motivated me to rediscover my old archive which included photos, sound recordings, footage, collected objects, and texts. As our digital carbon footprint becomes a pressing issue in the face of increasing technological development, this project aims to explore alternative solutions by recycling data as opposed to perpetuating the existing patterns of unrestrained data production. Your artistic production weaves through such wide variety of themes, and as you have remarked in your artist's statement, you want to fill the gaps in history that are taboo by giving them a narrative: as an artist particularly interested in the themes of myths, religions, topography, and history, how does your cultural substratum due to your Korean roots address the direction of your artistic research, and how does your current life's experience fuel your creative process? Jane Hwang: If you could place a snapshot of Korea during the Korean War beside a snapshot of Korea in the present day, you will be overwhelmed by the massive contrast before your eyes. Now more than ever, the polarities and distinctions between generations, genders, social values, regulations, and so on are clear. While the economic development of the nation was prioritised after the war, many other values have been neglected. Through my artistic research, I aim to uncover the narratives about the people, events, and tragic memories that have been buried following the war and to illuminate the gaps between times. Over the years your works have been showcased in several occasions, including Octagon, Museum für Fotografie Berlin, Atelierhaus Salzamt, and Icelandic Visual Artists Association: as an artist whose practice focuses on expanding territories of engagement between viewers and artwork, how do you consider the nature of your relationship with your audience? By the way, as the move of Art from traditional gallery spaces, to street and especially to online platforms — as Instagram and Vimeo — increases, how would in your opinion change the relationship with a globalised audience? Jane Hwang: The interventions of my artwork and my viewers happen by transcending time and space. As an artist who primarily works with digital art and media, my relationship to my audience is Jane Hwang scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition rather unpredictable due to the nature of my artwork. It is uncertain where and when someone will meet my work. However, art showcased on online platforms is trickybecause you do not know under which circumstances the viewers will consume the artwork. For example, they can watch the video on Instagram involuntarily while scrolling down or watch the same video with full HD television at home. It is impossible to control every inch of the viewer’s environment like I can in my own exhibition, such as technical specification, the brightness of the space, volume, etc. In contrast, it would be utterly ignorant ifartistsdo not care about how their work will be seen unless randomness is theirintention. I think that the transmission of art from physical spaces to online platforms causes a lot of loss in artistic details. Compared to physical exhibitions where artists can direct the environment and mood of the art in its surroundings, art showcased on online platforms is subjected to an unpredictable environment that the audience is in. We have really appreciated the multifaceted nature of your artistic research and before leaving this stimulating conversation we would like to thank you for chatting with us and for sharing your thoughts, Jane. What projects are you currently working on, and what are some of the ideas that you hope to explore in the future?
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Jane Hwang Land Water and Blood (2020) 2-channel video installation, loop, HD
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Water and Blood (2020) 2-channel video installation, loop, HD
Jane Hwang scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Jane Hwang: Since 2019, I have been working on a project that is researching the civilian massacre in South Korea before and during the Korean War. I am developing an artistic methodology of not forgetting the history that our generation did not get to experience and share memories with victims through a multidisciplinary approach. Now, the digitalization of art has become an inevitable task for artists. It started from a question of how the present generation will be able to share empathy by shifting the physical logic of commemorative culture to the digital world. Besides this long-term project, I am also working on a short video that can be considered a sequel to my previous work, 'island of is and yous (2019)' and 'Water and Blood (2020).' This new project will tell a story about an encounter of two women, while one has passed away and the other is still alive. In terms of future works and ideas I hope to explore, I am interested in incorporating the scientific approach to my main themes of my work relating to life and death, and communications over time and space. Physics always inspires me with its poetic explanations of time and space, and I hope to bring this scientific essence into my future artwork. Thank you to the readers behind the monitor for reading me.
Hello Kim and welcome to LandEscape. Before starting to elaborate about your artistic production and we would like to invite our readers to visit https://www.kimeshelman.com in order to get a wide idea about your stimulating artistic production, we would start this interview with a couple of questions about your background. You have been painting in a variety of mediums and styles for over 30 years: are there any experiences that particularly influenced your evolution as a visual artist? Moreover, how does your cultural substratum address the direction of your current artistic research on the theme of landscape? Kim Eshelman: My journey as an artist has gone through many iterations. When I first began painting I worked abstractly on very large canvases. I was drawn to the pure color and energy that I had seen other artists work such magic with. As I evolved as an artist and my skills developed I began to incorporate figures into my abstract pieces. One of the first series I created that was widely exhibited was an Painting is a meditation that allows me to focus and become still, leaving the world outside and entering a place where I can fully express myself. Translating the beauty of nature around me into paintings has been incredibly healing for me. I believe the subjective lens though which we all view the world is a common thread between us. We have different stories but they’re all human stories intertwined with love, loss, pain, and joy. As with everyone, my experiences have shaped my reality both figuratively and visually. Painting has become the intimate bridge between my inner life and the outside world. What began as an intense desire to express myself has evolved into an aspiration to evoke emotions and a feeling of human connection in others. An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator [email protected] Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW LandEscape meets Kim Eshelman
Kim Eshelman Photo by Lisa Mize Photography
Last light, 12 x 9
abstracted series of jazz musicians. My father is a saxophonist and he instilled an appreciation in me for the intuitive and spontaneous creative force that many jazz virtuosos express through their music. In a sense I was working at translating that creative force into another art form, painting. Throughout the years as I have grown more introspective, so has my body of work. Moving into a rural area has certainly influenced my choice of subject matter and I’ve naturally gravitated toward painting the landscape. After living many years in the Seattle area with my studio in a large artists community downtown, I recently moved to a very rural area near the base of Mount St. Helens, close to where I was raised. I grew up exploring these forests and lakes and as my body of work has progressively veered toward landscapes it is like coming home both figuratively and literally. The body of works that we have selected for this special edition of LandEscape has at once impressed us for the way your naturalistic exploration of the aesthetics of environment unveils the sense of oneness of human perception and the connection with our surroundings: when walking our readers through your usual setup and process, would you tell us how do you usually develop the initial ideas for your artworks? Kim Eshelman: The generation of ideas for my paintings is aligned with my setup and process in the sense that I don’t have a systemized set of working steps for either. Exploring new processes by experimenting with different substrates, incorporating different mediums into my work such as pumice or marble dust, using different underpainting techniques, exploring new subject matter and the like is what keeps me coming back to the easel. I get bored easily and I’m constantly searching for new and exciting ideas that will stimulate my creative process. That stated, there are a few constants in my work. I have gravitated toward working solely with pastel as my medium of choice. The immediacy of using dry pigment and the ability to layer directly on the surface with no drying time fits my restless personality. It allows me to paint and bring a piece to a finish quickly, which is my preferred method of working. I also love drawing, and working with pastel gives me the ability to combine the aesthetics of drawing into my painting more so than I’ve found with other mediums. Slashing in hatch marks or allowing the underlying armature of a piece to become part of the finished painting by either leaving areas unfinished or loosely indicating the “bones” on top of the “body” of a piece is something I love to do. Having the stick of pigment directly in my hand with no brush in between myself and the substrate also removes a layer of distance between myself and the painting. Inspiration for my work can range from reference photos I’ve taken of a passing forest while driving, dreams I’ve had, or just walking out my front door and learning from the constantly changing environment around me. In the era of Covid and the limitations of travel it’s imposed I’ve also occasionally worked collaboratively with friends/photographers who have allowed me to garner inspiration from a reference they’ve provided. Your artworks are marked out with such sapient combination between rigorous Kim Eshelman scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
sense of geometry and careful choice of tones, that provide your works with a unique aesthetic identity: do you create your works intuitively, instinctively in order to capture your idea and crystallize it on your canvas? Kim Eshelman: As I delve deeper into the landscape I find my compositions are largely intuitive. For example, I’ve noticed that I paint much more often in a vertical format rather than the traditional horizontal format without consciously realizing until recently this is my preference. When painting landscapes I find myself drawn to composition in a more traditional sense of arranging elements in the picture plane in a stable geometric structure. Even though much of my landscape work edges toward abstraction I believe a strong armature is key to a successful painting. Moving from abstraction to more representational work has allowed me to experience composition in a myriad of ways. I have never spent a lot of time planning a painting, probably because I am such an immediate painter and want to delve straight into the piece. I believe this method helps me create some of my best works because the spontaneity translates to the substrate. If I’m working on a commissioned painting I will more likely do some thumbnails and color studies prior to starting in order to achieve a final piece that is aligned with what my client wants. But overall I don’t have a formula, I have ideas. If I’m quiet enough, the painting comes out on its own instead of me trying to make the painting come out. To me that is a successful piece. You are a versatile artist and your artistic production encompasses a wide variety of scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
Kim Eshelman scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land End of the day, 12x16
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Country road, 9x12
Kim Eshelman scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land subject matter and style: what does direct you to explore such a wide breadth of subjects? Kim Eshelman: For me subject matter is subverted to the overall goal of my work, which is human connection. If I have an idea or emotion that I want to express, something that I believe will resonate with my viewer, I’ll paint it regardless of whether is’s a tree, a portrait of a person, a still life, or anything else. Allowing a wide repertoire of subjects in my work also keeps the studio experience fresh for me. it might be wiser from a career perspective to build a cohesive body of work that focuses on one genre such as landscape, but I’ve always been more interested in cultivating my personal growth as an artist. And I believe exploration - whether it be regarding subject matter or anything else- is key to encouraging growth. One of your primary goals as an artist is to distill your subjects into their absolute essence, and we really appreciate the way you capture their inner spirit, released from contingency and from any kind of contextualization. In this sense, we daresay that your artistic practice seems to aim to look inside of what appear to be seen, rather than its surface, providing the spectatorship with freedom to realize their own perception: how important is for you to trigger the viewers' imagination in order to address them to elaborate personal interpretations? In particular, how open would you like your works to be understood? Kim Eshelman: Yes, my hope is to engage my viewer and allow them to bring their
Evening song, 12x18
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition own perceptions to what they’re seeing. That’s part of the reason so much of my work edges toward abstraction. Engagement occurs when all parties are actively engaged, not when one tells the whole story and the the other just listens. I recently had a viewer ask me about what I meant to say with a particular painting, and my response was that my goal was to have them interested enough to study it and come to their own conclusions. The process is initially a communication between myself and the painting, but it will eventually become three way communication between myself, the painting, and the viewer. We have appreciated the delicate and thoughtful nuances that marks out Here with me, as well as the intense tones that provide Market Day from your Still Life series with such unique visual dynamism. How does your own psychological make-up determine the nuances of tones that you decide to include in your artworks and in particular, how do you develop your textures in order to achieve such unique results? Kim Eshelman: Who I am and how I perceive changes daily based on my moods and experiences, and my art reflects this. I’ve gone through tonal phases where my palette is quite muted as opposed to the intense color work of the above mentioned pieces. Walking into the studio daily is as much as exploration of who I am as it is an exploration of the painting process. Here with me and Market Day were both created on Sennelier La Carte paper. It’s a beautiful
Kim Eshelman scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land The glen at dawn, 9x12
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition This moment, 12x 15.5
French substrate that’s created by spraying a vegetable grind onto an archival surface. This surface doesn’t allow any wet underpainting but the texture lends itself beautifully to a loose and painterly approach. I use this substrate when I want to work directly without putting a lot of time into an underpainting. Usually I’ll start with soft willow charcoal to loosely lay in the armature and then directly start in with very soft pastels. With other paintings such as The River Now, I work on a sanded paper (UART 320) and implement a layering process of pastel with various other mediums such as gamsol, pumice gel, clear gesso, acrylic, watercolor, and even surgical spirits to create the textural effects I’m after. I also use palette knives, push pins, and various other found objects to create texture and variety. Many of your artworks feature natural spaces, that seem to be captured directly from life, engaging in such an intimate way: how does your everyday life's experience fuel your artistic research? In particular, how do you consider the role of memory playing within your artistic process? Kim Eshelman: Living in the country and having immediate access to the forest and field that surrounds my home provides a lot of my inspiration. I am fortunate enough to be able to open my studio door and walk into the glade of trees in my front yard, which I have painted many times (A Study of Light is an example). However, I am mainly a studio painter because I enjoy having the wide range of tools and materials I need at hand to create the effects I desire. Regarding the role of memory and how it Kim Eshelman scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
works in my process, I think it is one of many facets that contribute to my work. When I begin a painting I try to start by truly seeing, truly listening to the scene. It is inevitable that my mood, my memories and experiences, will all influence the outcome of the piece. I think it’s the combination of my immediate response to what the scene is, as well as who I am as an individual and my past experiences, memories, moods, and current physical experience that creates a unique painting, a piece with my signature, my thumbprint on it. I’ve had many viewers tell me they recognize my work immediately regardless of whether it is a portrait, still life, or landscape. As you have remarked in your artist's statement, painting has become the intimate bridge between your inner life and the outside world, and we have appreciated the way you combine reminders to reality with such unique dreamlike visual qualities. Scottish visual artist Peter Doig once remarked that even the most realistic works of art are derived more from within the head than from what's out there in front of us: how do you consider the relationship between reality scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Happiness, 12x9 If I entered, 16x12
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Kim Eshelman Land Portrait of a tree, 12x9
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition A study of light, 12x9
and imagination, playing within your artistic production? Kim Eshelman: I attempt to keep my landscapes open to engagement by leaving out detail and creating a space for mystery to enter. Perception is reality and everyone perceives differently, yet my goal is to find a common ground between myself and my viewers. I would posit that the question should instead be how I consider the relationship between reality and perception playing within my artistic production. I want to express the sense of place, the consciousness of a scene that lies beyond our tangible world -our so called everyday realityyet a place that everyone will naturally recognize. I believe that in this place lies the connection of all people and in fact all living things. Rumi said “There is a field beyond all notions of right and wrong. Come, meet me there.” In order to find these paintings within myself I often have to flesh out many other paintings whose end result may not reflect what I initially desired. I might even find them cliche or a bit boring, a bit too conventional. But I don’t look at these paintings as failures. They are simply steps on the path that are Kim Eshelman scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Storm impression, 12x9 The River Now, 16x12
taking me closer to the destination of the painting in Rumi’s field, finding a painting that is distilled to it’s truthful essence. So my work is not about the landscape as much as it is about connection; human connection, but also the individual’s connection to everything. When I capture the truth and essence of something for what it is, I have succeeded. People often say my paintings are peaceful yet full of energy. This is a great compliment to me because the landscape (as well as all other subject matter) communicates emotion and energy and I try to translate that to the picture plane. It’s not about the subject matter, it’s about the emotion and connection that is conveyed. You are an established artist: your work is in public and private collections worldwide and over the years you have participated in lots of exhibitions: how do you consider the nature of your relationship with your audience? By the way, as the move of Art from traditional gallery spaces — to street and especially to online platforms as Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kim_eshelman — increases, how would in your opinion scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Summer bouquet, 12x9 Market day, 16x12
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Kim Eshelman Land Sleepy asters, 12x9
change the relationship with a globalised audience? Kim Eshelman: By and large I think the move from traditional gallery spaces to online platforms is positive for both 2-D visual artists and viewers. It vastly expands the ability to reach a wider audience. The costs scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Here with me, 12x18
of shipping work to galleries is also diminished for the artist by using an online platform. I think globalization has also created a stronger bond within the artistic community. I’ve made many virtual friends with fellow artists and we’ve been able to help each other grow and learn through sharing techniques and giving each other support. On the flip side, there is something lost when you take away the real life experience of walking up to a painting and viewing it live. Seeing the textures, colors, and feeling the energy of the piece is something that cannot be replicated through the internet. We have really appreciated the multifaceted nature of your artistic research and before leaving this stimulating conversation we would like to thank you for chatting with us and for sharing your thoughts, Kim. What projects are you currently working on, and what are some of the ideas that you hope to explore in the future? Kim Eshelman: I’m currently exploring figure work and learning from life models, which is something new for me. I’ve also been finding myself more fascinated with portraiture lately and have been dabbling in that. I believe landscapes will always be my primary passion but challenging myself with new subject matter always yields positive results that can be incorporated into all facets of my work. On the landscape front I’ve been experimenting lately with new textural materials seeing how it affects my final vision. I’ve also been enjoying pushing the color envelope to new levels by desaturating reference photos I’ve taken and completely imagining the color palette instead of relying on local color. Kim Eshelman scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator [email protected]
Hello Joyce and welcome to LandEscape. Before starting to elaborate about your artistic production we would like to invite our readers to visit https://joycamilleri.wordpress.com in order to get a wide idea about your multifaceted artistic production, and we As an artist teacher, my work aims at exploring the experiential value of drawing as a form of critical enquiry characterised by a timeless state of incompleteness recalling mankind’s continuous journey of becoming on paper and beyond its linear boundaries. Theory and practice meet in the drawing process as a visually poetic praxis, nourishing one’s intrinsic sense of wonder for the unknown and bringing about instances of meaning-making and learning compelled by the artistic process itself. Such applied enquiry is drawn on a personal narrative of becoming both as an artist and researcher; a journey informed by theoretical and practical avenues of thought, which culminate in captivating visual forms that unite thought and action in the creative process. The latter process of becoming succeeds to transcend the linear boundaries of the paper, as other forms of creativity manifest themselves in other aspects of life, where new knowledge is continuously formed and reformed. My art practice is grounded on the regular and intensive dedication to the life class, which is postulated as a practical site to rehearse my performative capacities of research, which are grounded on the sheer observation and visual understanding of the human body. In this sense, life drawing is regarded as a form of ethnographic field of enquiry that puts me, as an artist and thus art researcher, in the position to witness, study and eventually document the visual narratives and experiential knowledge conveyed by human forms. The utter manifestation of the self is thus stimulated by the corporeal presence of others, through an interactive mode of observation that draws on the meaningful relationship that exists between experience, practice and research, which act as knowledge signifiers. Such art practices eventually result in the development of contemporary studio-based drawing approaches that are regarded as essentially interpretative forms of art, particularly fuelled by dynamic semiotic processes. In this view, the purpose of drawing is not restricted to the mere representation of the external world, but is valued as a tool to construct alternative visual realities based on thoughtful negotiation between external visual signifiers and in-built symbolic systems. Indeed, such concepts value the poetic space of drawing for its power to unite verbal and non-verbal forms of expression. In this sense, whilst drawings take the form of non-verbal poems, poetry takes the form of a verbal image. My non-verbal and verbal works draw on possible conclusions from the previous enquiring discourses that explore the nature of drawing as a true learning experience that involves an audacious leap into a new ontological space; a space characterised by a continuous renewal of the self. In turn, such artistic processes nurture my view of the world as a state of intermittent change, through a phenomenology of thought and action uniting concrete experience and consciousness into an ephemeral and yet visually tangible dimension. An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator [email protected] Land scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW LandEscape meets Joyce Camilleri
would start this interview with a couple of questions about your background. You have a solid formal training: after having earned your first degree in art teaching at the University of Malta, you nurtured your education with a diploma course in artistic printmaking at the Malta School of Art under the tuition of Anton Grech. Meanwhile you also pursued further training at the International Summer Academy of Fine Arts in Salzburg, through masterclass workshops with German artist Michael Morgner and most recently with Austrian artist Tobias Pils: how did those formative years influence your evolution as an artist? Moreover, how does your cultural substratum direct the trajectory of your current artistic research? Joyce Camilleri: These varied forms of formal training altogether have influenced my practice in a scaffolded manner. The course in art teaching was mostly pedagogy oriented, giving me a theoretical insight into the elements of art and principles of design as foundations for art teaching and learning. Such pedagogic focus left little or no space for hands-on artistic practice, thus not quenching my thirst to delve into a thorough studio research. For this purpose, I soon sought further training under the mentorship of Anton Grech at the Malta School of Art, who introduced me to various printmaking techniques that included, xylography, etching and monoprinting, paired with the regular practice of the life class. It was here that I developed an extended interest in printed textures and where I rediscovered my earlier fascination for the representation of the human form through drawing. Alongside I attended two masterclass workshops with Michael Morgner, who introduced me to a variety of ink drawing and painting techniques, also paired with life figure drawing. Here the observational and the interpretative merged perfectly into a body of work that united idea and method in tangible manner. A sheer interest for line and form started emerging, and whist the element of colour gradually transmuted into a rather limited palette, my work developed into filtered traces of black and white spaces and textures on paper. Such training was followed by the M. Ed Artist Teacher at the University of West of Scotland, which Joyce Camilleri scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
combined my dual interest for teaching and art practice. The latter master’s degree was a pivotal experience in not only upkeeping a more regular artistic practice but also in developing a sharpened ability to articulate my arts practice verbally, hence giving it a higher relevance as a form of continuous visual research. My latest workshop with Tobias Pils was a mere celebration of the above experiences altogether, where critical theory and practice out-balanced each other flawlessly. Nowadays I have extended my home studio, I am organising weekly life drawing sessions in my hometown for myself and other fellow artists and have also started teaching on a full-time basis at the Malta School of Art, where my arts practice journey had begun. Your artistic practice is centered on the use of drawing and printmaking on their own and the merging of the two into mixed media practices, and we have really appreciated the way your approach highlights the creative potential of paper, going beyond its use as a surface and exalting its materiality. We have found this aspect of your practice particularly fascinating since it shows that apparently ordinary materials can be used to create scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
stimulating works of art: would you tell us something about this captivating aspect of your artistic approach? Joyce Camilleri: Paper is in itself a fascinating material. The variety of hues, textures, weights, finishes and Joyce Camilleri scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
quality of materials used are infinite and so are the ways different papers respond to the applied media. Drawing is the first form of mark making we experience at a very young age; it opens possibilities to the first symbolic scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
Joyce Camilleri scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land representations of the visual world and develops alongside other modes of verbal and non-verbal modes of communication. Printmaking is a discipline that demands planning and foresight and yet one never really knows how the print will really look like until it is peeled off the plate. The planned approach to printmaking, the spatiotemporality of drawing and the unforgiveness of paper altogether, provide me with a challenging scenario characterised by risk taking; a continuous research into the known that provokes a sense of wonder for the unknown that is transposed towards the sheer merging of media via the manipulation of raw materials. For this special edition of LandEscape we have selected the Nebula series, a stimulating project that our readers have already started to get to know in the introductory pages of this article. What has at once captured our attention of your body of works is the way it raises questions on the issue of perception, and providing the elusive notion of visual interpretation with such stimulating tangible quality: when walking our readers through the genesis of the Nebula series, would you tell us something about your usual setup and process? In particular, do you create
scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition your works gesturally, instinctively? Or do you methodically transpose geometric schemes? Joyce Camilleri: This body of work set off through the practice of the monotype. Many a time I consider the monotype as my icebreaker with the paper. I would apply printing ink onto the plate searching for a visual balance of positive and negative spaces. Once this balance is achieved, the plate is printed and the image uncovered. Chromatic balance is eventually sought in conjunction with the resulting composition. The immaculate white space around the image recalls the practice of traditional printmaking and enhances the overall final result. Your Nebula series features a balanced combination between rigorous sense of geometry and abstract sensitiveness, showing that vivacious tones are not strictly indispensable to create tension and dynamics. How do you structure your process in order to achieve such brilliant results? In particular, how does your own psychological make-up determine the nuances of tones that you decide to include in your artworks? Joyce Camilleri: My work is mostly monochrome with velvety blacks, vivid earthly ochres, sober burnt umbers and
traces of the raw uncovered paper surface. My sensitivity to form and space brings about a minimalistic approach to the world of colour. Whilst many techniques usually depart from light tints and colours and gradually Joyce Camilleri scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
overlay darker shades, I work the other way round. I block the darker spaces and progressively elaborate where the light will fall and with what intensity in a way that does not disrupt the overall visual balance of the image. scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
With its unique dreamlike ambience and a bit enigmatic visual quality, the Nebula series unveils the bridge between the real and the imagined: how do you consider the relationship between reality and imagination, playing within your artistic production? Joyce Camilleri: In an attempt to allow the artistic process to follow its spontaneous course, I initiate new works without a predetermined figurative idea in mind. Such works usually result in a series of artworks that belong to a common visual narrative. The nonrepresentational gestures on the plate are in themselves the catalysts that allow the image to take a life of its own. Eventually figurative elements emerge naturally on the plate. Such forms are intentionally modified via the direct scraping of lines on the plate to enhance unforeseen figurative elements. Such an approach is characteristic to various works forming part of other visual anecdotes, which include the Corpus et Anima series, where human forms surfaced on the plate amidst the darkness of the black printing ink. This latter series represents my timeless fascination for the human form; the physical presence of human figures that allude to various Joyce Camilleri scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
states of mind experienced throughout the course of life. We daresay that your Nebula series seems to aim to look inside of what appear to be seen, rather than its surface, providing the spectatorship with freedom to realize their own perception. Austrian Art historian Ernst Gombrich once remarked the importance of providing a space for the viewers to project onto, so that they can actively participate in the creation of the illusion: how important is for you to trigger the viewers' imagination in order to address them to elaborate scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
personal interpretations? In particular, how open would you like your works to be understood? Joyce Camilleri: Alongside the visual arts I have always manifested a keen interest in poetry, which I consider to be both a verbal and a visual form of expression. My artistic process is a continuous exploration of the poetic space of the visual image, thus allowing the viewers unlimited openness to reinterpretation as they deconstruct, reconstruct and ultimately articulate their very own understanding of the image. It is through these varied perspectives that the artwork truly becomes independent from its own creator. I encountered similar notions of thought in the written oeuvres of Milosz, particularly in the following stanza from his poem, Ars Poetica. The purpose of poetry is to remind us how difficult it is to remain just one person, for our house is open, there are no keys in the doors, and invisible guests come in and out at will. It's important to remark that you are also an experienced art teacher in the fields of drawing, printmaking and mixed media practices, and that your creative work nourishes your constantly evolving pedagogical approaches to art theory and practice: does your work as a teacher influence you as a creative? In particular, did you ever draw inspiration from the creative process of your students? Joyce Camilleri: Teaching is an art in itself. My artist teacher role is pivotal, for every new question asked and novel discourse tackled nourishes my need for constant research in the artistic field and its philosophical side. The art class becomes a platform for new knowledge to be formed in collaboration with my students, as we delve into a critical understanding of the artistic process, which is also affected by the surrounding context. Teaching young students allows me to maintain a fresh and uninhibited outlook on the arts practice, whilst teaching adults pulls me into a continuous challenge to research what I know and yet strive to seek unknown territories of thought and action. Joyce Camilleri scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land